The present invention relates to floor mats.
In the past, floor mats were made for specific purposes. Mats were made for entrance ways, commercial kitchen fatigue mats, oil resistance, snow and water removal, etc. Most of the above uses required specific mat constructions to perform whatever use was required. Sometimes it took more than one supplier to provide all of the requirements. If one mat supplier tried to cover the field, the investment in machinery, people, and skills made it very expensive to react to the demand. Warehousing alone was expensive in order to have the specific purpose product on demand.
Known floor mats, for example as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,703,059 and 4,796,399 to Kessler et al, include a framework formed of crossing ribs attached to one another at the crossing points. The ribs are usually made of plastic and are either welded together or are integrally molded in one piece. The ribs cross at right angles, with the lower tier of ribs resting on the floor.
Mats of the type shown in Kessler USP ""399 have included carpet strips held between pairs of adjacent upper ribs. The carpet strips are typically formed with a thermoplastic backing from which bundles of fibers extend. The plastic backing of the strip is adhered to the top sides of the lower ribs where it passes over them, or is attached by clips.
These mats have many advantages for use where people""s shoes may be quite muddy or wet, and also provide anti-fatigue support. The areas between the carpet strips let water drain down into the space between the lower tier of ribs on the floor, keeping the carpeting relatively dry and avoiding puddling on the carpet itself. The mats are low in cost as compared to carpeting.
It would be a tremendous advantage if a mat could be provided which could be stocked in an intermediate condition and then finished when the requirements from the field were requested. But this is not possible with the previously known mats in which the carpet strips are substantially permanently fixed, i.e. are either not removable at all without destroying the mat or are removable only with considerable difficulty. This means that the carpet strips cannot be taken out easily for cleaning or replacement, and they cannot be placed in arbitrary patterns of color or type to match particular applications, and they cannot be replaced by other types of strips, e.g. abrasive strips, slit tire casing strips, hardwood flooring strips, decorative vinyl or other types of flooring strips, etc., depending on the purchaser""s requirements or wishes.
Accordingly, the present invention has an object, among others, to overcome deficiencies in the prior art such as noted above.
The present invention thus provides a backing framework for a floor mat having anti-fatigue properties and also having slots in which various types of strips can be fastened, making the strips removable and replaceable.
In a first embodiment of the present invention, the edge of the carpet strip or other surfacing strip protrudes slightly and fits into side grooves which partly define the slit, which is preferably formed between the upper surfaces of the lower ribs and an overhanging edge running alongside of the upper ribs on each side of the carpet strip.
A similar embodiment is described and illustrated in prior provisional application Ser. No. 60/079,120, filed Mar. 23, 1998. Unlike the embodiment illustrated in Ser. No. 60/079,120, the overhanging edge or protrusion is interrupted or tooth-like, i.e. there are interruptions of the overhanging edge along the direction of the strip. The overhanging edge, when viewed from above, has a generally crenelated or square-wave shape.
Preferably, the shape of the overhanging edge is also different from that shown in application Ser. No. 079,120. In the ""120 application the cross section of the overhang, taken on a plane perpendicular to the extension of the strips, is triangular. In the present invention the preferred shape of the corresponding cross section is a rectangle, optionally with the lower corner beveled on the side facing the strip. Most preferably, it comprises an extension of the upper ribs of the mat running in the same direction as the strips and edges.
In a second embodiment, the carpet strip and the bottom of the slot are lined with many upstanding hook-like projections of the type which appear in hook-and-loop fastening strips, such as the type sold under the name VELCRO, which projections adhere the bottoms of the strips to the slots. The hooks are preferably formed on the upper surface of a plastic strip and the strip is adhered to the bottom of the slot of the backing framework. The loop material, which can simply be cloth, forms (or is adhered to) the bottom of the carpet strip. Thus, the carpet strips can be simply peeled out of the slots when they require replacement or cleaning. Since the hook material is covered at all times during use, the hooks are not damaged and remain usable for a long time.
The invention contemplates all combinations of the features of the two embodiments discussed above (and also all those of application Ser. No. 60/079,120), for example a combination of the overhanging edge or protrusion with the hook-and-loop fastening.
The strips can be arranged in arbitrary patterns of color, texture, or material. Also, various types of inserts with loop material adhered to the bottom thereof can be used in various combinations. For example, in place of the usual plastic/fiber bundle carpet strips, wooden strips can be used; this will greatly increase the attractiveness of the mat. Strips can be easily changed to suit various conditions.
The lower ribs can optionally be made thinner under the carpet strips. The backing or framework is much less stiff across the strip insertion direction and provides good anti-fatigue properties.